Literary Portfolio

Sacred Fool

Sacred Fool is a genre-defying homage to one of the Surrealist Movement’s most undefinable artists: Alejandro Jodorowsky, “The Father of the Midnight Movie,” and director of such cult classics as El Topo and The Holy Mountain.

This slender volume spans over ninety years of Jodorowsky’s psychological, spiritual, and artistic development through a series of episodic fantasy/adventure stories peppered with love letters from the author. Whether you are a fan of Jodorowsky’s work, or in need of an epic escape, Talamantez’s creative wit and intimate relationship with Jodorowsky’s work make this short novel an irresistibly entertaining read.



Essay: “Leaning into Fire: On Writing About Religion

Explore how the Modern Christian Evangelic Movement denigrated into the worship of power and grew to endorse violence.


Creative Essay: “The San Antonio Catacombs

My contribution to this issue of Pensive Journal is an homage to my hometown and its kickass live local music scene in the early 2000s. Click here to download the issue for free, and thank you for reading.


May 2020: The Lost Coast Trail (Poetry/Spoken Word)

Cumberland Times: “From California to Cumberland” -February 22, 2021 (Column)

Antipsychotics: A First-Hand Account (Nonfiction Essay)


COLLABORATIVE, INTERVIEWS, AND EDITING WORK


For Elijah

One thousand, 25-word plays commemorating what would have been Elijah McClain’s 25th birthday on February 25, 2021.

-Collaborative piece produced by playwright, Eric Ehn.



California Institute of Integral Studies (CCIS) Alumni Spotlight Series


September 2020: The Mission at 10th: Reflecting on the Alumni Spotlight Series (Essay)

May 2020: Overture for Closure: Hospice Music Therapy (Interview/Editing)

July 2020: The Artist, The Witness, The Pursuit (Editing) 

August 2020: Black Superheroes: The Battle Within (Interview/Editing)

August 2020: Healing Through Gratitude (Editing)

August 2020: The Sexual Revolution Will Be Televised (Interview/Editing)